


Reconstruct

by sapphirelance



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Genre: A-Support Conversation, F/M, Fluff, Some angst, first kiss prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-27 20:33:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15032687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphirelance/pseuds/sapphirelance
Summary: The in-game A-Support conversation between Seth and Eirika with a little extra just because I can. Taking place at…chapter 17(?) when Eirika’s party returns to Renais castle and after the battle with Orson.





	Reconstruct

**Author's Note:**

> I just finished Sacred Stones and believe me, the Sethrika feels are large. 
> 
> I’m tired of editing this, and it’s probably full of holes, but I don’t care anymore.
> 
> I tried to stay as close to the original support convo as possible, adding just a little extra to make it a oneshot. Kudos and feedback appreciated :)

Reclaiming the castle hadn’t come without a cost. 

 

Even with the battle over and the home of Renais’ reigning monarchs regained, the workload wasn’t about to lighten up any. L’Arachel and Natasha were anything but idle, mending everyone’s wounds since the fighting started hours ago. Ephraim and Eirika gave their respective orders to the others, passing out food and supplies as they were able in addition to plenty of other duties. 

 

Once things had settled down some, the twins conspired together, working out the kinks of a new strategy. They would leave at dawn, considering night had already fallen and most everyone was exhausted already. A break was certainly needed—mentally as well as physically.

 

It seemed so odd to be back home. The once warm and lovable castle Eirika had grown up in now was a ghost. The sense of comfort had fled her when she stepped over the threshold, replaced by heartbreak and panic. Though the battle was fought on the inside of the castle, it withstood any damage done, leaving hardly anything disheveled except for possibly the throne room. 

 

There was a different threat that still lingered about. The invisible kinds of threats that plague the mind and soul. 

 

Ephraim told Eirika she could return to her chambers if she so desired. Maybe to reclaim some semblance of normalcy before they set out again. Eirika was half tempted, but it felt strangely betraying knowing she could sleep in a bed when so many others couldn’t. Not to mention the ghosts of before taunting her with every turn she took.

 

She hadn’t seen Seth either since they had been separated in battle. Forde had stayed at her side per Ephraim’s instructions since things simmered down, taking place of the absent general. Ephraim had promised her that Seth was perfectly all right, but wouldn’t tell her where he was. 

 

And how she needed to see him. For her own peace of mind.

 

Eirika and the others had taken down Orson, Seth’s former tutor and one of the most loyal knights to Renais gone bad. She knew that this was one of the toughest fights they had faced, but for Seth especially. L’Arachel had told her that she mended his old wound he received from Valter Moonstone upon fleeing Renais just weeks ago, since he had aggravated it in the last battle. He disappeared shortly after that. Eirika knew that wouldn’t be the only wound he received in all this. He probably went somewhere to clear his head. 

 

“Something amiss, milady?” Forde asked, breaking her from her trance. 

 

Eirika blinked. Recognizing she was walking with her temporary guardian down the halls of the castle in search for any stragglers. They walked in sync with each other, despite the naturally longer strides he took. 

 

Eirika shook her head. “I’m all right, Forde, thank you. I’m…” She paused for a moment, peaking around an open door to an empty bedroom. “I’m just worried for Seth is all—and everyone else who was close to Orson. After today’s fight, I can’t imagine what you must be going through.” 

 

Forde nodded understandingly. “Most of the knights were close to him, or at least knew of him. General Seth knew him well, he trained under him. Though, I don’t think you have to worry about the general too much.”

 

“I know. Seth’s strong in both body and mind, but I still worry about everyone. I just hope we can all be honest about the horrors we’ve been seeing lately. Nobody should have to bear this by themselves. And I know how much Seth idolized Orson, I can’t imagine striking him down was an easy thing to do.” 

 

Forde sighed, wincing at the thought of bearing a secret the general had sworn him to. He’d for sure have his hide. Maybe not though, if he told Eirika of all people. He knew his general well, after all. He could benefit from a visit from the princess. 

 

“Milady,” Forde said hesitantly, clearing his throat. The princess turned to face him, expectant of his answer.

 

“General Seth swore me to secrecy, but I will confide in you: he’s in the gardens outside. Lord Ephraim gave him leave for the night to make sense of…all this.” Forde relaxed once he saw Eirika at ease. She smiled at him, placing a hand on his arm. 

 

“I promise, I won’t rat you out. I’m just going to go check on him, can you handle the rest of the search?” Eirika asked. Forde nodded. “Of course, milady. Just please be careful.” 

 

Eirika, with newfound energy, darted down the long corridor and a flight of stairs to the main level of the castle and out the back door to the palace’s courtyards and gardens. Night had fallen outside, only the light of the lanterns in the gardens broke through the darkness with flickering candlelight. 

 

The gardens remained untouched by everything, surprisingly. The beautiful blossoms sparkled color to contrast the beige brick of the surrounding castle walls. Seth was perched on a wooden bench, head in his hands. He had removed most of his armor from when L’Arachel mended his wound earlier, wearing just his fitted black riding pants, boots, and a black shirt, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. He looked like he had aged a year sitting on that bench, running his fingers absentmindedly through his red hair.

 

Eirika did her best to not startle him, proceeding cautiously through the gardens. The clicking of her boots against the stone pavement made him look up at the sound, a hand on the sword at his side in case it was needed. When he recognized there was no threat, he relaxed, but didn’t move from his place. 

 

“Lady Eirika, are you all right?” he asked tiredly. “Is there something you need?” 

 

Eirika took a seat next to him on the bench, folding her hands in her lap. “I just wanted to check in on you, that’s all,” she replied. “I know…I know today had to have been hard for you. And L’Arachel said your wound had been aggravated in the fight.” 

 

As if on cue, Seth reached up to his chest to touch that spot through his clothes, his palm just hovering over it. He sighed, lowering it down to rest on his knee. “I’m all right, milady. I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but…” 

 

Eirika dared to venture closer to him. “But _what_ , Seth?” 

 

Seth’s gaze was still cast downward towards the pathway. “Forgive me for sounding too forward, but you really should be careful spending so much time with me.” 

 

“What are you talking about, Seth?” she asked, holding back on the impulse to reach out and touch him. Eirika could feel his warmth on her arm that nearly brushed against his—it wouldn’t take much.

 

He gave her a sad smile, full of the weight of responsibility and exhaustion. His voice low and even. “Lady Eirika. You’re a princess; a noble of Renais. You shouldn’t favor one subject over the other. How can they maintain their fealty if you treat them so differently?” 

 

Eirika remained quiet, fidgeting with her folded hands in her lap. Seth adjusted his weight on the bench, inching himself away from her ever so slightly. Eirika watched, but didn’t say anything. Already she felt colder even with him just _that_  much farther away. 

 

“I don’t mean to be cruel, Lady Eirika, but there might come a time when victory in battle demands sacrifice…” He trailed off, his hand falling from his neck after a sufficient massage. “If you can’t send your men to fulfill their oath sworn to you, then you are not in a position to rule.” 

 

“I know,” Eirika replied. “Ephraim’s reminded me of that, too. I’m sorry, Seth. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” 

 

There was a small pause. Seth gave way to another small smile, but enough to relieve her anxious mind. He placed a hand atop of hers, squeezing it under his palm. Eirika nearly jumped in surprise. Her cheeks warming as she turned to look at him.

 

“It’s not about that, milady,” Seth replied gently. “Though, you do worry about me quite a lot. Part of me wonders if I’m truly doing my duty to cause such a reaction from my liege.” 

 

“Seth, you’ve given everything for me, for Ephraim, Renais, my father—everyone. What kind of ruler can I be if I don’t show some amount of compassion and appreciation to those who sacrifice so much for our sake?”

 

“Swearing to a duty requires sacrifice,” Seth explained. “As you’ve no doubt experienced already.”  

 

Both stayed quiet for a while. Eirika kept her eyes focused on the ground below her, scuffling the stone pavement with the toe of her boot. Somehow, in the midst of their exchange, Seth’s hand retreated from cupping hers to his side. She stared at it, wishing she would have held onto it for longer. She gave a sigh, squirming in her seat again as she fiddled with the hem of her skirt between her fingers. 

 

“Seth,” she began, trying her hardest to not feel like an infatuated, naive little girl as she spoke. “That night…That night that we fled from here—from the Grado soldiers—I-I felt something. You kept me safe from the enemy. You held me so tight to you that…Perhaps it is improper of my station, but I did feel something more for you then. I still do. And I think you should know that.

    “With my father now dead, I have to keep reminding myself of my station. If I can’t, then…I won’t ever be able to rebuild my kingdom. But I can’t go on with not being honest about things either.” 

 

Seth remained silent, though he did look to her as she spoke. He watched as she rose onto her feet, his heart quickening its rhythm. It nearly broke when she didn’t meet his gaze as she excused herself. “I’ll leave you be.” 

 

Just as she began to walk away, Seth found himself practically leaping off of the bench, despite the painful protests of his wound. He winced but didn’t stop. Eirika heard him and spun on her heels, expecting to find him crumpled on the ground, but instead he took her hand back into his. “Eirika, wait.” 

 

Not Lady Eirika. Not milady. Just _Eirika_. Just as she had asked him to. She froze, trying frantically to piece together what he was doing, but she didn’t wonder for long as he guided her back to the bench. She sat, but didn’t take her eyes from him, feeling sympathetic pain in her side as she watched him sit with another wince.

 

“That night…I felt what you felt,” he admitted softly as they sat. Her blue eyes shot right through him, pleading for respite. He squeezed her hand again, wrapping the other one around hers as well for safe keeping. “When I held you in my arms as we rode into the night…It was the first time since I was knighted that I forgot my duty. I thought of you not as my queen, but rather as someone I wanted to protect from all harm. I wanted to leave everything behind—to take you far away to someplace where we could be together. Those were my thoughts.” 

 

Eirika’s heart pounded against her flesh, her hands shaking in Seth’s grasp as she floated on his words. He released her hand, but not before planting a light kiss against the back of her palm.

 

“Please forgive me, milady,” he said. “I swear to you that I will never again forget my duty. I will lay down my life to protect my queen.” 

 

“Seth…” Eirika sighed, immediately felt incomplete without his hands cupping hers. Seth slowly stood onto his feet, pushing off of the metal arm of the bench for support.

 

“If you’ll excuse me, Lady Eirika,” he said, righting his posture. “I should prepare for tomorrow’s march.” 

 

“Seth, please…” Eirika rose from the bench whipped around him, stepping in front of him and barring him from proceeding any further. He frowned at her, but his expression was far from angry. He didn’t try to fight her. Nothing inside him could. 

 

“Seth, I love you,” she whispered fiercely, a stray tear rolling down her cheek. “Please don’t go. Please don’t become distant.” 

 

“Eirika,” he matched her low tone, brushing away the tear with swift fingers. “I’m a weak man. You shouldn’t love me. I am not worthy of your affections, nor am I anyone near your station.” 

 

“Damn the stations, Seth,” Eirika cursed. “You’ve never been weak! Don’t talk about yourself like that—”

 

“When it comes to you, milady, I am nothing but.” 

 

Eirika huffed in frustration, her gaze so pleading and so loving that the weight was crushing him. Seth knew he should refuse her as politely as he could. It’s not like he hadn’t dreamed up this scenario a hundred times already. There was no way he could sweep her off her feet as he so wanted to and commit his life to her in a way that wasn’t just knighthood. There’s no way it would work. Despite the encouragement he received from Ephraim, Renais’s future queen would have a different future than he and that was a bitter pill to swallow. 

 

But she was making things difficult. He loved her for it. Seth broke into a tired smile, letting it grow when Eirika frowned with obvious confusion. 

 

“You’ve always been a spitfire, milady. I know a look of determination when I see it—especially yours,” he chuckled half-heartedly. “As much as I want to give my heart to you, I cannot.” 

 

“Why? Simply because you’re not royalty?” Eirika asked. “I cannot accept that as an answer.” 

 

It was Seth’s turn to sigh, letting himself toy with a lock of her turquoise hair as she closed the gap between them. She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her forehead to his chest. Something inside of him fully caved as she held him. Whether it was her caring spirit, iron will, physical warmth or beauty, he wasn’t sure. It was all of that and more. Taking in the sight of the woman he adored in front of him, he wasn’t able to deny the feelings he harbored for her any longer. Even if he would be exiled, he could do it in complete honesty. She would be more than worth it. 

 

“Renais is reconstructing _everything_ , Seth,” Eirika said, her voice muffled from burying her face in his shirt. “We can change things. The walls that separate us can be dissolved. Please. There’s no one else I’d rather have at my side.” 

 

Seth surprised her in returning her embrace, pulling her as tight to him as he possibly could. Eirika could feel one of his hands cradle the back of her head, clutching it tightly against him like an anchor in a storm. She caught her breath, still unsure what he was going to do, but she clutched him tighter than she had ever held anything in her life. 

 

“I will always be at your side,” he whispered. “Whether that be your knight, or something more, you never have to worry about that. If you’ll have me, I promise I will give everything I have to you. Marry me, Eirika?” 

 

Eirika pulled away only enough to look into his eyes. Her mouth dropped open just slightly as she managed to choke out, “Hon-Honestly? You mean it? O-Of course!”

 

Seth whisked away another tear that leaked from the corner of her eye, cupping her face in his palms. He had been envisioning this too for too long. He raised her chin with two fingers, pressing his lips to hers. Eirika clutched him tighter, afraid she’d melt right into the ground below. Seth lowered his arms, holding her stedfast by the waist. It wasn’t a kiss forged of heat and passion, but endearing and tender mixed with exhaustion and relief at the same time. At that moment, all the universe was just the two of them in the gardens. 

 

The kiss broke all too soon. Eirika still felt like she was walking on air, nearly forgetting to breathe. Pulling away from Seth just enough to glance up at his face, she saw just how enamored he was—completely infatuated with her. Though, she was just as guilty of it as he was.

 

“Unfortunately, we shouldn’t linger out here too long,” Seth finally spoke; his tone relieved, but still tired all the same. “Not until we make an announcement. Even then, we’ll have to be careful.” 

 

“Are you so worried of rumors?” Eirika asked. “Surely worse things have happened.” 

 

“Rumors are one thing, but we are still at war, Eirika,” he replied, not letting her go. “As much as what I’d love to forget what’s going on outside these walls and stay here with you, we have jobs to do. Until this is finished, I’m still just a knight in your employ.” 

 

“You were _never_ just a knight in my employ,” Eirika stated, giving him a wry smile. “You’ve been advising Ephraim and I since day one. You’re just as much of a commander of this army as I or my brother. I’ll be every bit the leader everyone needs, but I’m not going to deny anything about us, either. If we’re trying to hide something, then all our energy is spent on a ruse. At least if we announce it and accept it, we can move on from it and stay focused on the task at hand.” She smoothed out the jagged corner of his shirt. “Besides, you’re finally mine, I’m not letting you off the hook that easily.” 

 

“I think that’s a plan I can go along with,” Seth chuckled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Come, let’s find the others. I’ve a future bride to show off.” 


End file.
